POTSDAM -- A pair of unlucky goals pushed the Clarkson University Men's Soccer team on edge for close to 70 minutes, as the Golden Knights fell 2-0 in the season-opener against Houghton College in the LOTTO Tournament Classic Friday afternoon at Hantz Turf Field.

The Golden Knights, now 0-1-0 on the season, will face Roberts Wesleyan at 2:00 p.m. today. Houghton College, 2-2-0 overall, will play St. Lawrence University at 12:00 noon. In game two of the LOTTO Tournament, St. Lawrence shut downed Roberts Wesleyan, 2-0.

Both teams had chances in the early going, but it was an unfortunate misfire for Clarkson midway through the first half that put the Highlanders on the board first. Following a long throw-in by Zach Wise, the ball got punched around inside the box, and a failed clear resulted in an own goal at the 23:00 mark.

Early in the second half, Houghton tallied an insurance goal just a minute in. Sophomore Daniel Smith redirected a ball with the outside of his foot to the far post, finding the head of Aaron Martin, just 1:02 into the period.

Though Clarkson had its scoring opportunities in the second half, with the best one coming off a header from Tobin Boomer (Louisville, KY) that required a sprawling save by Houghton goalkeeper Steve Zacchigna, the team was unable to pick up a score.

Clarkson finished with an 11-6 edge in shots and a 5-2 lead in corner kick chances. Scott Stuart (Ottawa, ONT) made two saves for the Knights, while Zacchigna made four saves for the Highlanders.

In the second game of the tournament, the two teams battled each other to a scoreless, even first-half, before St. Lawrence began to take control with hefty advantages in shots and scoring chances. The Saints finally broke the tie with 27:59 remaining, as Sean Scott sent a long pass off a corner to the far side of the box. After a few soft bounces, the ball found the head of Alex Laird, who popped the shot into the top of the goal.

With just a few moments left in the contest, the Saints picked up an insurance goal when Sam DeMello sent a through pass to Sean Scott. The junior striker outmaneuvered the last defender and skipped the ball past the Raiders' diving goalkeeper at the 87:06 mark.

St. Lawrence outshot the Raiders, 16-6, and the Saints also owned a 6-2 edge in corner kick opportunities. Erik Read made six saves for St. Lawrence, while Brian Abernethy made three stops for the shutout.